Gustavb s



(No Model.)

G. S. NEU.

ELECTRIC POWER CONTROLLER.

S INVENTOR:

WITNESSES:

N. PETERS, PhatmLhhm-graphar. wnmn m 04c.

GUSTAVE S. NEU, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

ELECTRIC POWER CONTROLLER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 383,901, dated June 5,1888.

Application filed January 27, 1888. Serial No. 262,114.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GUSTAVE S. NEU, of the city, county, and State ofNew York, have invented a certain new and useful Improve ment inElectric Power-Controllers, of which the following is a full, clear, andexact description;

This invention relates to an improvement in contrivances forcontrollinga steam, water, compressed-air, gas, or similar power-supplyvalve by means of an electric current; and the principal object of theimprovement is to insure the proper action of the valve when theelectric circuit is made or broken.

The invention comprises, mainly, in connection with a sel f-acti ngsupply-valve, a catch for restraining the valve, a vibrating hammer fortripping the catch, a vibrating armature for operating thetripping-hammer, an elect-romagnet, a battery, and electric connections,whereby the tripping of the catch and consequent automatic action of thevalve are assured by the repetition of the blows of the hammer.

The invention also comprises a weighted or springactuated arm forworking the valve, and a pivotal lever having a fork for engaging saidarm and arranged to be automatically locked by the catch beforementioned when the arm is moved to operate the valve.

The invention comprises, in addition, an auxiliary engine connected withthe main power-supply for working the main valve in opposition to theweight or spring, a second self'acting valve for controlling the supplyof power to said engine, a catch and electric tripping devices forrestraining and releasing the said engine-controlling valve, and means,as those hereinafter described, for returning said engine-valve to therestraint of the catch by the action of the main valve.

The invention comprises, further, an electric circuit for starting themain-valve-closing mechanism, another electric circuit for starting themain-valve-opening mechanism, and self-opening circuit-closers in boththe valve closing and opening circuits, arranged to be closed by themain valve as the same is respectively opened and closed.

In order that my invention may be fully understood, I will give adetailed description (No model.)

of the manner in which the same may be practiced.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawing, forming part of thisspecification, in which the figure represents an electric con trivanceembodying my improvement arranged to control a power-supply valveas of afeed-pumpin accordance with the height of water in a tank presumed to befed thereby. The valve A, which is prel'erabl y a balanced valve, and isarranged in the steam or other power-supplypipeBassumedinthisinstanee tolead to a pump for feeding a water-tank, 0 is provided with anoperating-arm, A, heavily weighted or connected with a strong spring, A,which is here shown arranged to close the valve when free. Anangle-lever, D, having a short forked arm, D, is so pivoted and arrangedas to hang when free, as indicated in dotted lines in the figure, inposition to receive within its fork the end of the valve-arm A, whenswungin opposition toits spring A to open the valve, and to be thrownoutward by the pressure of the valve arm against the farther branch ofthe fork, so as to bring the nearer branch into engagement with the arm,as shown in full lines in the figure. A pivotal springactuated catch, E,having a beveled head, is arranged to automatically engage the longerarm of the angle-lever D when thus thrown, and thereby restrain and lockthe valve A in its open position.

A spring-hammer, F, is arranged to strike and disengage the catch E, andan electro-mag net, G, having an ordinary vibrating arma ture, G, (hereshown attached to the hammer F,) is adapted, when properly energized,tooperate the armature and hammer, so that the latter will strike thecatch a swift succession of blows.

The magnet G is connected by a wire, H,

with a battery, I, and theintermittent circuitbreaker I by a wire, I,with one contact of a circuit-closer, J, which is in this instance afloat circuitcloser adjusted to make the circuit when the water in thetank 6 reaches its upper limit. The other contact of the circuitcloser Jis here shown connected by awire, I, with a yielding contact, K,arranged to be borne upon by the angle-lever D when in its outerposition, and the pivot of said angle-le- IOO ver connected by a wire,Iflwith the other terminal of the battery I.

The contactK and angle-leverD,beingproperly insulated,form a convenientcircuit-closer, by which also, when and only when the anglelever isreleased to permit the action of the valve A, the circuit isautomatically broken by the fall of the angle-lever. The mainsupply-pipe B is connected in advance of its con trolling-valve A, by abranch pipe, L, with one end of the cylinder M of an engine, having apiston, M, and piston-rod M and the piston-rod is connected with thevalve-arm A, so as to operate the same in opposition to its weight orspring when the steam or other power is admitted into the cylinder M.The farther end of the cylinder is, by preference, provided with avent-pipe, M, connected with an exhaust-pipe, M The branch pipe L isprovided with a cut-off valve, L, which is here shown as a three-wayvalve, the extra way of which is connected by a pipe, L, with theexhaust-pipe M The valve L is provided with a spring-actuated orweighted arm, L", in this instance to when free open the valve foradmission and close the exhaust, so that the steam or other powerentering the cylinder M will drive the.

piston and throw the arm A of the main valve outward into thelockingrestraint of the catch E, as before described.

A second forked angle-lever,N,spring-catch N, vibrating hammer N,vibrating armature N and eleetro-magnet N are arranged substantially asthose in connection with the mainvalve arm A, so as to engage andrestrain the auxiliary-valve arm L when operated in opposition to itsweight or spring to close the valve L for admission and connect thecylinder M with the exhaust, so as to leave the piston and main-valvearm free to fall, and to trip the catch and permit the auxiliary valve Lto open, as before, when the magnet is energized.

The auxiliary angle-lever N is also arranged to act, in conjunction witha second yielding contact, 0, as a circuit-closer. The auxiliary magnetN and contact 0 are, by preference, connected by wires 0 and 0,respectively, with the battery I, and the angle-lever N and intermittentcircuit-breaker P of the magnet N by wires 0 and 0, respectively, withthe contacts of, in this instance, a second float circuit-closer, Q,which is arranged at the tank B to complete the circuit when the waterfalls too. low, as the other float circuit-closer does when the waterrises too high.

In the wire 0, connecting the angle-lever N with the low-watercircuit-closer Q, is interposed aself-openin g circuit-closer, R,arranged to be closed by the arm of the main valve A in operating aspermitted by the action of the current in the main circuit, or, in thisinstance, closing, so that while breaking the main circuit by the throwof the angle-lever D, the action of the main valve A at the same timeprepares the auxiliary circuit for completion 'by the fioatcircuit-closer Q; On the other hand, the main valve, through the arm A,when worked by the auxiliary or engine circuit, will leave thecircuit-closer It free to break the auxiliary circuit, and will closethe main circuit through its action on the anglelever D.

For working the auxiliary valve L in opposition to its spring or weightand throwing it under the restraint of the auxiliary catch N, noveldevices are provided, arranged to be operated from the motion of themain valve. The operating devices here shown comprise a push-rod, S,connected to an arm, S, attached to the auxiliary valve L, a weightedhammer,

T, pivoted to the side of the main-valve arm- A, a spring-catch, T, alsopivotedto the arm A and arranged to engage and lock the hammer T to saidarm, and a tripper, T, adjusted to disengage the catch T from the hammerand allow the same to drop on the valve pushrod S as the valve-arm Acomes under the restraint of its catch E. Theweight of the fallinghammer T, bearing on the push-rod S, serves to open the auxiliary valveand lock the same by means of its catch N.

The auxiliary-valve-operating devices also comprise a fixed fulcrum, U,on which the hammer T rests at or about its middle when in its lowestposition, as shown in full lines in the figure, so that when thevalve-arm A, which is considerably heavier than the hammer, falls, itcauses the hammer to rise to the position shown in dotted lines, therebyleaving the push-rod S and auxiliary-valve arm S free to rise and theauxiliary valve to open when its weighted arm L is released.

The Weightof the hammer T must, of course,

be such as to overcome the weight of the arm L Having thus describedmyinvention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1.In an electric power-controller, the combination, with a self-actingsupply-valve and a catch for restraining the valve, of a vibratinghammer for tripping the catch, a vibrating armature for operating thehammer, an electromagnet, and electric connections, substantially asdescribed.

2. In a power-controller, the combination, with a supply-valve having aweighted or spring-actuated arm, of a pivotal lever having a fork toengage the arm, a catch for the lever, and tripping devices,substantially as described.

3. In an electric power-controller, the combination, with asupply-valve, of an auxiliary power-engine for working the same, aself-aeting valve for controlling the engine powersupply, a catch' forrestraining the latter valve, electric tripping devices, andauxiliary-valveworking mechanism arranged to be operated by themainvalve-working engine, so that the auxiliary valve will be returnedto the restraint of its catch with the action of the main valve,substantially as described 4. In an electric power-controller, the comtoclose by the action of the main valve as the bination,withasupply-valve, operatingvmechsame is respectively opened and closed,subanism, and an electric circuit for closing the stantially asdescribed.

valve, separate operating mechanism, and a GUSTAVE S. NEU. 5 separateelectric circuit for opening the valve, Witnesses:

of self-0pening circuit-closers in both the valve- 0. SEDGWIOK,

closing and valve-opening circuits arranged O. BURGHER.

